Travelin' Soldier
by ThatchersHeart2
Summary: "Too young for him they told her, Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier" - Dixie Chicks ... Hope Thornton meets a charming young man, a soldier in the American Army. How will they find their way when Rowan is sent far far away. Based on the song Travelin' Soldier by the Dixie Chicks


It's a busy day in the booming city of Cape Krane. Hope Thornton swiftly shifted a stray strand of her auburn hair back as she observed the late-morning queue waiting at the register and the full tables of men and women on their way to work. It's the middle of her shift for the morning; the kitchen was overstaffed, so Hope offered to work the tables for the morning instead.

The seventeen-year old pulled an apron off of the hanger, grabbed a notepad and a pencil and wandered over to table 2, where a lone man, dressed head to toe in army greens, sat quietly staring into space.

"Good morning sir. Welcome to Penny's Café and Diner, my name is Hope. Are you ready to order?" She said with her best cheery voice and a smile.

The man looked up at the teen and smiled. "Good morning, yes I am ready to order, thank you."

"What would you like today?"

"A cup of coffee and some eggs and toast sounds good to me." The man replied kindly.

Hope scribbled the man's order onto her notepad, gave the man a smile and promised him his order would be ready soon. The man thanked her again as she turned around and headed towards the kitchen to deliver the order.

A quick 10 minutes later, the man's order was ready. Hope carefully took the plate of food and the coffee over to the man, who was once again staring off in the distance.

"Here you go sir. Have a good morning." She said as she placed the plate and mug onto the table in front of him. Hope turned around, ready to go wait on another table, when she felt the strong force of a hand around her wrist. She turned back towards the man in surprise, coming face to face with his concerned look.

"Wait. What's your name again?" He asked. Hope replied.

"What a pretty name," He said with a smile, "I'm Rowan."

"Well, hello Rowan." Hope giggled nervously.

"Would you mind sitting with me for a few minutes? I could really use someone to talk to."

"I'd love to, however I'm still on shift. My shift ends in an hour if you don't mind waiting." Hope replied with a small smile, curious about the man in the army greens.

"Sounds good. I'll wait here if you don't mind."

"All good. I'll be back in an hour." She assured the man.

**An hour later**

Hope and Rowan sat in awkward silence with only the sounds from the bustling city around them. Hope had brought the man out to the park near the café. She always went there after a busy shift at work if she could. A few moments passed by before Hope broke the silence.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked cautiously. Rowan looked up at her, meeting her eyes with his.

"I just turned 18 and enlisted in the army. This afternoon I shall get on a bus to California for training. My parents both died when I was 15, I have no family or partner. I- I guess a kind and beautiful lady like yourself probably has a boyfriend, but I was wondering if you would mind if I sent letters to you while I'm away." Rowan explained.

Hope smiled, not knowing how red her cheeks were from blushing. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents, my father passed when I was only young. It would be an honour to receive letters from you. Don't worry about a boyfriend, it's just me for now." She replied. Rowan simply smiled.

The pair spent a further hour sitting in the park together, talking and getting to know each other until Rowan caught sight of the bus pulling into the nearby station.

"I'm sorry Hope, but I have to go." He said in a saddened tone. Hope simply nodded in understanding. The man brought himself up from his seat on the ground before extending his arm out to the young girl. He helped Hope to her feet and the two shared a brief hug before collecting their things and beginning the short walk to the bus station.

"Promise me you'll write?" Hope stuttered.

"Of course. I know we've only known each other a few short hours, but I know I won't be able to keep you out of my mind." He replied. Hope blushed and nodded as she let out a nervous laugh.

Rowan swiftly took Hope's hand and slowly brought it up to his lips, gently kissing the top of her hand. Hope blushed even more as she watched the man carefully let her hand go and with one last smile, turn and walk towards the bus.

"Be safe. Have fun." She called after him.


End file.
